Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog » consumershttp://bizblog.blackberry.com
Sun, 02 Aug 2015 22:22:14 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://0.gravatar.com/blavatar/20ac8e1f171f33d226baa862f286c029?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png » consumershttp://bizblog.blackberry.com
BBM Extends Ad Sales Network with New Global Partnershipshttp://bizblog.blackberry.com/2014/11/bbm-extends-ad-sales-network/
http://bizblog.blackberry.com/2014/11/bbm-extends-ad-sales-network/#commentsTue, 25 Nov 2014 09:00:10 +0000http://bizblog.blackberry.com/?p=15073/ Read More]]>In addition to all the great privacy and control features we’ve been talking about over the last couple of weeks, our latest version of BBM also improves the various ways customers can connect with their favorite brands – through advertising, promotions, and special offers for BBM users.

As part of that effort, we’ve entered into several new partnerships to expand our ad sales network and bring region-specific advertising sales expertise to BBM. These new partners are introducing the BBM advertising platform to brands, businesses, advertisers, and advertising networks.

As I discussed in my Open for Business post, we’re monetizing BBM in several ways now that it’s no longer tied to the BlackBerry operating system, and open to iPhone, Android, and Windows devices. Targeted mobile ads and sponsored content are two important parts of that strategy, and we’re seeing this across the social industry.

As one of the largest private mobile social networks, BBM is uniquely positioned to capitalize on a mobile messaging market that is estimated to grow into the multi-billions in the next few years. Our highly engaged customer base has grown to more than 90 million monthly active users around the world, so we have great placements to offer advertisers.

Four New Regional Partners

Recognizing the diversity of global markets, we selected regional partners that already have strong relationships with brands around the world as well as mobile advertising expertise. These partners will represent BBM in markets where we have a strong brand and large, active BBM audiences.

Habari Media will represent BBM with dedicated sales representatives in South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana.

BBM Native Ad Formats

Our ad formats provide a great balance for both customers and advertisers. Our mobile ads appear in “Feeds” so that they blend seamlessly with updates from friends, not interfering with the BBM chat experience customers know and love. At the same time, the placements reach a highly engaged, highly targeted audience where they spend time.

Sponsored posts, which place content in the user’s BBM feed where they can click to download an app or access more information. Sponsored posts in a social media news feed are the best-performing type of ad unit that exists. Early BBM campaigns have delivered industry-leading click-through rates.

Sponsored invites, BBM’s most native ad unit, offer brands a dynamic way to reach out to their most loyal customers, as well as to potential customers.

Sponsored sticker packs, which provide brands a new way of visually communicating their brand message within conversations and linking to products, services, and promotional offers outside of BBM.

Featured placements, which are the primary way for BBM users to discover new brands to follow in BBM Channels.

Customer Information Stays Secure

To help personalize the BBM advertising experience, our advertising platform uses the information customers provide when they set up their accounts. At no time is personally identifiable information about any BBM user viewable by channel owners or advertisers.

We envision a future where BBM is the platform people use to engage with the mobile ecosystem: chatting with friends, working with colleagues, pursuing hobbies and interests, and taking care of the business of life, including commerce transactions. Precisely targeted advertising, with useful offers from brands we like, can replace the kind of mass advertising that speaks to only a small percentage of the people who see it. Advertisers won’t have to pay for reaching the wrong people, and consumers won’t get bombarded with irrelevant offers. It’s a win-win.

It’s hard to deny that mobility is the biggest trend in tech these days. 87 percent of the world’s population now owns mobile phones, with 1.2 billion people using their devices to get online. By 2015, mobile web is expected to surpass PC internet access. With this in mind, it’s time for business to ensure they’re delivering a seamless mobile customer experience, and luckily our Better Business Hub has a few pointers:

The rise of mobile

The increase of mobile use has led to 37 percent of US consumer being categorized as “always addressable customers,” meaning they own and use at least three connected devices and go online multiple times a day from different locations. They expect a seamless experience regardless of the device they’re using. Business need to make sure their mobile strategies ensure quality user experiences across these multiple devices.

The growing demands of the average consumer

It’s no longer acceptable for companies to have an excellent website but a poorly optimized mobile site or no social media presence. 85 percent of adults who have completed a mobile transaction in the past year expect the experience to be better than on a desktop computer. If companies don’t meet that expectation, the consequences can be severe: 63 percent of online adults would be less likely to buy from a company via other purchase channels if they had a problem conducting a mobile transaction. Therefore businesses need to focus on exceeding customer expectations by testing and optimizing websites on a regular basis. 57 percent of customers will leave a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load, and 74 percent will abandon a mobile site after waiting five seconds.

Embracing mobile in your business

To succeed, business must deliver a mobile experience that has context and is relevant to what consumers want. A responsive site is a good start, but the key is to stand out from the competition with personalization. A standard app that doesn’t offer anything new is not going to help your business stand out–so focus on a customized mobile experience. In addition to driving mobile users to your site, business need to mobilize their communication channels to interact with and engage customers. BlackBerry’s BBM Channels, soon to be launched, is a great way for business to connect and communicate with customers and prospects directly from their mobile phones. Users will be able to engage by commenting on, liking, and sharing posts, as well as chatting 1:1 with the brand they’re following.

If you’d like to see some more ways your business can embrace and enhance its mobile customer experience, check out the original post over at the Better Business Hub. And be sure to let us know how your business is catering to mobile customers in the comments.